Integrated English for Refugee Resettlement & Inclusion (IERI)

1. Integrated English for Refugee Resettlement & Inclusion (IERI)

The Problem
Uganda continues to host large numbers of refugees from Sudan, South Sudan, and other neighboring countries, many of whom arrive with limited English communication skills, despite settling in a linguistically diverse country where English remains the only widely familiar language across both the host and refugee communities. This inability to communicate effectively affects every aspect of their daily lives: accessing services, integrating into schools, participating in community life, and seeking livelihood opportunities. Recognising this gap, Wema Educationals proposes the Integrated English for Refugee Resettlement & Inclusion (IERI) programme - an accelerated and community-based English language initiative designed to support 400 refugees, particularly women, youth and out-of- school adolescents, to acquire the functional English skills they need for survival, belonging, and long-term integration.

Our Intervention
The IERI programme will be delivered through a structured sequence of activities that gradually build learners’ capacities while addressing the social and emotional challenges that often accompany displacement. The process will begin with a simple baseline assessment to help instructors understand each learner’s starting point. Learners will then be placed into small groups; beginner, basic or intermediate- depending on their comprehension and communication levels. This ensures that instruction is appropriately paced and that learners feel supported rather than overwhelmed.

The teaching approach will be grounded in an integrated methodology that views listening, speaking, reading and writing as mutually reinforcing skills that must be developed together. Lessons will be conducted through dialogue, role-play, storytelling, demonstrations, reading practice, guided writing activities, and real-life scenarios that reflect the situations refugees face daily. This method ensures that language is not taught in isolation but as a lived and practical tool for survival and dignity. Learners will practise listening using recorded conversations and everyday instructions, practise speaking through conversations and everyday instructions; practise speaking through conversations and community interactions; practise reading using public notices, simple texts, timetables and announcements, and practise writing through messages, descriptions, short narratives and basic forms commonly used in schools, markets and hospitals.